POS1537-HPR PERCEIVED BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS
Authors: Ö. Öztürk, Ö. Feyzioğlu
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2022)

Background Physical activity is a core treatment method in the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Barriers to physical activity including high disease activity, symptoms such as pain, stiffness and fatigue and lack of time have been reported in qualitative and quantitative studies in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Inflammatory Arthritis FAcilitators and Barriers (IFAB) questionnaire has been developed to assess perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity in patients with inflammatory arthritis. Identifying barriers and facilitators to physical activity using a rheumatic-specific tool may help to plan better patient management strategies in clinical practice. Objectives To determine barriers and facilitators of physical activity in patients with axSpA and explore associations between perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity and education level, disease duration, functional status, anxiety, depression. Methods Between September and December 2021, 93 patients with axSpA were included in this study. Besides demographic and clinical variables, patients completed the IFAB questionnaire to determine the perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity or exercise. Also, anxiety and depression status was determined with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and functionality was measured with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form (IPAQ-SF). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association of HADS score, HAQ score, disease duration, educational status and the IFAB score. Results Of the 102 patients included, 93 were analyzed, 46 % were women. The mean age was 44.81±10.71 and the mean disease duration was 6.91 ± 6.92 months. According to the IPAQ-SF scores, 47.3 % of the patients were inactive, 49.5 % were moderately active and 3.2 % were active. The mean IFAB score was 4.61 ± 22.22, and 26 % of patients‘ score was below -5. One level increase in educational status resulted in an increase of 3,55±1,77 points in the IFAB score and a one-point increase in HADS-Depression score lead to a 2,00±0,57 decrease in the IFAB score. Conclusion In this axSPA population, 26 % scored below -5, indicating significant barriers and a need for a physical activity intervention. IFAB score was independently associated with education status and level of depression. Our results may propose that a comprehensive physical activity program should be designed considering psychological factors and should be prepared according to the educational status of the patients. References [1]Rausch Osthoff et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018. [2]Davergne et al. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2021. Table 1. Characteristics of the included patients. Characteristics Mean ± SD (Median) Age (years) 44.81±10.71 (47) Time since diagnosis (years) 6.95±6.95 (5) BMI (kg/m 2 ) 27.17±4.75 (27) BASDAI 4.49±2.22 (4.5) HAQ 0.35±0.36 (0.25) HADS-anxiety 7.89±5.44 (7) HADS-depression 6.76±4.78 (6) IFAB-total score 4.61 ± 22.22 (5) Figure 1. Educational status of the included patients. Disclosure of Interests None declared